We were lucky to catch up with Brandon Harn recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brandon, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

During COVID-19, I watched as countless food and beverage businesses—the heart of so many communities—struggled to survive. These were passionate, hardworking business owners offering incredible products. But despite their dedication, many were losing ground—not because of a lack of quality or effort, but because they didn’t have the tools or systems to consistently reach their customers and tell their stories, especially at a time when the ways we connect were changing so much.

That experience stuck with me. And it led to a realization: in today’s world, every business—especially in food and beverage—needs to think like a media company. Not to chase trends, but to stay visible, build trust, and communicate with purpose.

That’s what inspired me to create Orchard Grows Business.

We focus on helping food and beverage business owners grow through structured, sustainable marketing systems. Our goal is to take the burden of content creation and management off their shoulders—so they can focus on what they do best—while we ensure their brand connects with their customers and nurtures steady, meaningful growth.

To me, this is about more than marketing. It’s about strengthening the food and beverage businesses that bring people together and nourish our communities—giving them the support they need to thrive in a noisy, fast-moving world.

Because when local businesses thrive, the community grows stronger—and together, we create a lasting impact.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Someone once asked me, “Did you choose your profession, or did your profession choose you?”
The answer is both.

The importance of communication has always been central in my life. I grew up with a deep interest in film and visual storytelling, which naturally led me to explore the structures behind the stories that inspired me most. That journey eventually brought me to a foundational insight: storytelling is rooted in psychology.

We can’t conceptualize things for which we don’t have words. That’s why being able to describe something clearly is so powerful—it creates a mental image. And stories? They show us how those mental images and ideas interact. Stories influence how we think, how we connect, and how we make decisions. That’s why they matter—in every part of life, including business.
I’ve always wanted to help people tell their stories. My first steps into marketing came through graphic design—using visuals and words to communicate what made a product or service special. It was my way of translating someone’s vision into something others could see, feel, and understand.

I still remember sitting around a table with my classmates after a final portfolio presentation in Chicago. We were all talking about what we wanted to do with our design skills. When it came to me, I said:
“I want to help businesses communicate the value of what they do.”
That answer still holds true today.

I started Orchard Grows Business to support food and beverage business owners—a particularly tough and resilient kind of people who pour their hearts into creating something meaningful for their communities. They’re creatives too, expressing their craft through flavor, experience, and hospitality. But many don’t have the time or systems to consistently share their story and show the community what makes their work so special.

That’s where we come in.

At Orchard Grows Business, we create and manage content that gives these businesses a voice in the digital world—bringing their products, stories, and spirit to life online so they can connect with the people who need to hear it most. We build social media broadcast systems that consistently showcase the heart, soul, and offerings of the business—helping them grow by nurturing connection, visibility, and trust.

We don’t just create content.
We help business owners show up consistently, communicate clearly, and ultimately, convert attention into growth.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Early in my career, I was working at a fast-paced agency, juggling major design and advertising projects. But when I began doing personal work on the side—trying to bring in clients and build something of my own—I hit a wall I didn’t expect: I didn’t know how to sell.

That realization was humbling—and honestly, a little paralyzing. I had all the creative tools, but none of the language or systems to communicate value in a way that drove real business outcomes. And without that, I couldn’t grow.

So I made a bold—and terrifying—move: I left the agency world and took a job as a sales rep for a local media company. It was a cold bucket of water to the face. Suddenly I was knocking on doors, making cold calls, and learning firsthand what it means to build a sales pipeline and nurture relationships over weeks, months, and sometimes years.
It was hard. It truly tested every fiber of my being. But it also changed everything.

The biggest lesson I learned is that things don’t get sold—they get bought. And people only reliably and consistently buy when they truly understand how something helps them get what they truly want. That understanding only happens when you can clearly communicate the core value to the right audience in the right way.

That season taught me the mechanics of business in a way no creative role ever could. It gave me a grounded understanding of what business owners actually deal with every day—and it shaped the way I communicate, build strategies, and deliver value now.

Looking back, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. That experience gave me the resilience to pivot, the humility to start from zero, and the perspective to meet business owners where they are—with both creativity and clarity.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

We do what we say we’ll do, when we said we’d do it, for the price we said we’d do it for.
That kind of follow-through shouldn’t be remarkable—but in the marketing world, it is.

I’ve had the good fortune (and at times, the frustration) of sitting through countless marketing presentations promising life-changing results—only to see them deliver impressions and clicks, but no sales and no growth.
Business owners, especially in food and beverage, are constantly bombarded by vendors making big promises with little accountability.

At Orchard Grows Business, we take the opposite approach.

We bring reliable structure, effective strategy, and clear communication to every engagement—so business owners never have to second-guess what’s happening, when it’s happening, or whether it’s working.

That steady, realistic approach is what sets us apart—and it’s what keeps our clients coming back.
Here’s how a few of them have described their experience:

“Orchard Grows Business has been instrumental in significantly increasing our social media and website traffic, which has directly contributed to a noticeable growth in restaurant visits and top-line revenue.”
—Scott Koons, Owner, Colorado Mountain Brewery

“I wholeheartedly recommend Orchard Grows Business to anyone seeking a partner that goes above and beyond in building and maintaining a strong brand strategy. Their commitment to excellence and client success is truly commendable.”
—Michael T. Girard, President/CEO, 3 Hundred Days Distilling

“Orchard is truly a partner in your business—listening, creating, and delivering for your brand. One more time for the folks in the back: ORCHARD GROWS BUSINESS!!”
—James Africano, Owner & Executive Chef, The Warehouse Restaurant

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.orchardgrowsbusiness.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonharn/

Image Credits

Brandon Harn